Sections

Politics Chat: Should a uniformed Mountie be able to smoke medical marijuana?

Cpl. Ronald Francis serves with the RCMP New Brunswick, and received a prescription for medical-grade marijuana. The RCMP has said he cannot smoke in uniform — join our live chat and tell us what you think about this story, and whether Cpl. Francis should have been stripped of his uniform.Photo: Cpl. Ronald Francis/CBC

Cpl. Ronald Francis, a Mountie for more than two decades who is battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was stripped of his uniform after he was caught on film doing just that. Francis says he does have the right, but Justice Minister Peter MacKay says Francis’s action “sets a poor example for Canadians.”

But Adam Greenblatt, executive director of the Medical Cannabis Access Society, a Montreal-based non-profit medical cannabis dispensary, told the National Post that while the optics may displease the RCMP, the force should find a way to “reasonably accommodate” Francis.

What do you think? Should police officers ever be permitted to use medicinal marijuana on the job — or is the idea preposterous?

Join our live chat and discuss the politics of pot. On our panel: Michael Den Tandt, national columnist for Postmedia News, and Postmedia reporter Tobi Cohen, who has been covering the story. Be a part of our discussion, Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET.